Posted by Ron Edwards on October 14, 1999 at 13:48:12 :
I have had a sort of part time catering business that I started 6 years ago. Two years ago I decide I needed some business skills to be successful so I went back to school. I went to USF to take their core Hospitality management classes, something I can strongly suggest to all. My kitchen skills have been adequate for my business to this point although it is my week point. I do plan to hire a cook in the next 18 months. My strong areas are more sales and organizational. Now my wife and myself have been going full time for the past 4 months.
Well school really help make some major changes in the way I run the kitchen. I am trying hard to move from recipes in my head ( see below) to standardized recipes. So far in working with one recipe consultant I have a fairly modest collection of recipes scaled for 30 guest. As we go into the holiday season I would like to move away from specialty products( good wives, Sweet Street...) to have a better bottom line with products done in house. My question is what, or who is a good source for appetizer and side dish recipes? I have a number of books I use and highly recommend, but a lot of recipes just don't have the "wow feel". I have created a few recipes but want to expand my recipe collection.
The key area is OFF PREM foods. I find both of Daniel Boulund's books( his new on Café Boulud Cookbook is great) extremely helpful as well as Catering Solutions ( Ed Sanders, Larry Lewis and Nick Fluge). Both book provide make ahead and presentation ideas. Of course I have all of the Cater source recipes I can get my hands on. I am looking for someone who knows of a recipe consultant. Living in the Sonoma County in Norther California I am in a two tiered market. Wineries with foods you read about In magazines, and the general hard working population.
I have found after a few large events having recipes in a binder that are scaled and proven are working much better all around, cost , consistence, and customer satisfaction is way up.
BTW my original field of study was electronic engineering , so I am struggling not to make my plates and presentations so linear. The only advantage is when it comes to portioning gout a hotel pan :)
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Slow Roasted Roast beef Bruschetta
Day before
Coat a NY Stip with the following then Wrap and refrigerate over night
Parsley , black pepper corns and a lot of garlic combined in a food processor, then rubbed on the NY Strip.
Combine Cream cheese, Fresh grated horseradish in a food processor . Let sit overnight
Slice baguettes on the bias and brush with roasted garlic oil and butter mix. Bake till golden brown on sheet pan
Night before
Place roast in oven. Large Price/Costco stip takes about 10 hours ( very little shrinkage at 130 internal))
Day of
Pull cream cheese mix and spread a moderate layer on each of the toasted baguettes slices, cover and set aside
Julian some roasted peppers.
Pull leaves of Italian parsley and cut into to 3rds
When Roast is done slice very thin, on a slicer. Then cut each slice so you will have a piece of steak that will fit on the baguettes slices
Assembly
Place a piece of Steak on each baguette slice then place a small piece of parsley on the steak then top with the thin julienned slice of roasted pepper.
When done with red and yellow peppers you get a very festive holiday presentation. They can be made no more than 8 hours before service, since the meat tends to start discoloring the cream cheese
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The above is not fully developed( as to portion of each item), but I'm sure it's the way several who cook have recipes. One thing I did learn in school is that it does take time to move from the above format to a standardized format.
TIA
Ron Edwards